The Government of Ghana will relocate Emmanuel Asamoah, a Ghanaian national targeted in a xenophobic attack in South Africa, bearing the full cost of his return and resettlement.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed the decision, disclosing that he has spoken directly with Asamoah and that the government will cover all relocation expenses following safety concerns arising from the public exposure of his identity.
In the viral video that triggered the diplomatic response, a group of South Africans confronted Asamoah and demanded he produce his passport. When he presented a certified copy, explaining he kept the original stored safely, the group accused him of obtaining the document from a corrupt official.
Ablakwa, speaking on TV3, confirmed that Asamoah is a legal immigrant with the appropriate documentation to reside in South Africa. “We have discussed and he has agreed. We will relocate him to another country. He has been through a lot of trauma so we need to take care of him,” the minister said.
After meeting Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, Asamoah told Ghanaians he was doing well. “I was the one in the video, but by God’s grace, nothing bad happened to me. I’m fine,” he said, urging his family, particularly his mother, not to worry.
Ablakwa also commended the South African government for its response, citing a reassuring statement issued by South Africa’s Minister for Police, Firoz Cachalia. He emphasised that the protection of Ghanaians at home and abroad remains the government’s priority, adding that no Ghanaian would be abandoned in harm’s way.
Speaking earlier on Thursday, April 23, during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Ghana and Sierra Leone, Ablakwa described the attacks as “such naked hatred, such baseless xenophobia,” warning that targeting fellow Africans undermines the spirit of continental unity and integration.
